Advertising & Public Relations Major

The advertising and public relations major prepares students for careers in strategic communication in profit and nonprofit contexts. Courses develop critical thinking, written, oral, visual communication and presentation skills in the creation of research-driven integrated communication proposals. Account services, media planner, copywriter, media relations, event planning, social media strategist, fundraising/development and communication specialist are a few of the career opportunities for advertising and public relations majors. Students are encouraged to complete one or more internships to sharpen their professional skills and identify specific career interests.

The advertising and public relations major must complete 36 hours of coursework: 30 hours of required courses and six hours of elective courses. All prerequisites must be completed prior to enrollment in the following courses.

There are numerous extracurricular activities that are available within the communication department community. The Drury AD/PR Club encourages advertising and public relations majors to join in its activities, especially the Ad Team competition. The Drury AD/PR Club sponsors the annual Career Quest event as well as other career-related experiences. Students may choose to involve themselves with The Mirror (student newspaper) or any of the broadcast activities with KDRU or DUTV. Advertising and public relations students who excel in their major, as well as overall, may be eligible for Alpha Delta Sigma, the professional honorary society for advertising students. Additionally, outstanding students may join Lambda Pi Eta, an honor society of the National Communication Association.

Senior Portfolio Requirement All communication majors, and those planning to declare a major, must keep a file of important assignments completed in communication courses and in the general education program. Items to be placed in the file include any written assignments graded or evaluated by the instructor, written projects, speeches, internship projects and audio/video materials. The contents of the file will be used to develop a senior portfolio, a course requirement in COMM 493: Senior Seminar. The senior portfolio is a reflective document that provides evidence of a student’s learning achievements and it may be used to facilitate career planning, job search activities and/or admittance to graduate study.